Disclaimer for the story: InuYasha and Naruto do no belong to me. However I do own this plot so please do not use it without my permission.
Pages: 26
Words: 10, 233
Chapter One- Chuunin Exam Mision
"Kagome better not come crying to me after Sesshomaru's done whipping the floor with her," InuYasha huffed to the others plopping himself onto the ground in a sitting position. 'I don't understand. Why is she even doing this?'
"You're only mad because she didn't want you to train her!" Shippo blew a massive raspberry in the Inu Youkai's direction.
"And may I remind you that you only did that after you heard what Sesshomaru-sama was offering to do?" Sango reminded him. She for one was glad that someone as skilled as the Taiyoukai had been teaching her friend. After all, anyone would hold a sword and swing it around like a brute. Using a sword was supposed to be more of an art form.
"Hey! Why the hell are you taking that bastards side over mine? Because of him we haven't been tracking down any Shikon jewel shards. Naraku's growing stronger and we're just like duck sitting."
"I believe the proper saying you're looking for is, 'sitting like ducks' not 'like duck sitting'." Miroku correct, immediately regretting that he had.
"Shuddaup Miroku," InuYasha grumbled in a fouler mood than before. "Honestly how much longer are we going to have to wait?"
"Don't be so impatient. Kagome-chan said they'd meet us here." Sango replied as she lightly scratched behind Kirara's right ear.
"Maybe I'll get to see Rin-chan today. I can't wait to see Kagome spar against Sesshomaru-sama! I hope she remembers to bring me some candy." Shippo exclaimed his tail wagging back in forth. "Wait, what if she's forgotten about me? She has been gone for such a long time..."
"I'm sure Lady Kagome would never forget about you." Miroku reassured the young kit whose eyes had started to water.
"You're right! She could never forget my face. I am the cutest kitsune youkai [fox demon] she's ever seen!"
"Runt, she's probably forgotten all about you by now and replaced you with Rin. Which means from now on you won't be seeing anymore chocolate bars or candy that you like so much," InuYasha said preying upon Shippo's insecurities. "Rin's gunna get'em all and leave you with nothing."
"Take it back! That's not true!" Shippo was getting teary eyed once again.
"Is too!" InuYasha said crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well then Kagome's forgotten all about you! You've been replaced you with Sesshomaru-sama. He has better style than you and is stronger!" Shippo yelled right in front of InuYasha's face.
"Cut it out you two!" Sango said trying to intervene.
"He is NOT!" Childishly InuYasha yelled back.
"IS TOO!"
"IS NOT!"
"HE IS TOO!" Somehow Shippo had got a hold of InuYasha's ears with his teeth. He started to violently tug at the furry appendages.
"THAT HURTS! STOP IT YOU SHRIMP!" InuYasha managed to free his ears from Shippo's mouth and then punched the top of the kit's head.
"Owiee!" Shippo whined holding the massive lump on his head. "InuYasha you're such a meanie!"
"I'll show you mean!" He advanced towards Shippo with his fist raised.
"Osuwari."
"It's pathetic if you must beat up a kit in order to order to prove yourself." Sesshomaru openly shared while his eyes resting on the crater, the one that had been made by his idiotic half brother's body.
"KAGOME!" Shippo launched himself at her, nuzzling his face into her abdomen.
"Lady Kagome. It's a pleasure to see you once again!" Miroku rapidly started to make his way over to her with his hands held out in front of him ready to do some major groping. Only he found himself face down in the dirt, courtesy of Sango.
"Still lecherous as always, some things will never change." Kagome laughed hugging Shippo with one arm and Sango with the other.
"Keh. Hurry up and spar already. That way we can go back to jewel hunting." He was glad to see her but he wasn't going to admit that to her in front of the others.
"Why hello to you too InuYasha." Kagome said dryly as she placed Shippo back onto the ground. Then pulled a chocolate bar out of her pocket and held it out to him.
"Oh boy, is that for me?" A nod of the head was his confirmation. "You're the bestest person in the whole wide world Kagome!" The chocolate treat was quickly devoured.
Sesshomaru quickly drew his blade and attacked Kagome only to have InuYasha roughly shove her out of the way. "What do you think you're doing? She wasn't prepared for that! I knew it. You were trying to kill her!"
"Fool!" Sesshomaru hissed. That was a direct insult to Sesshomaru himself. Of course he had taught her well enough to be able to defend herself from a little surprise attack. He couldn't be related to this thing. The mutt had just flung Kagome off the side of the rocky cliff. Sesshomaru dived in after her and InuYasha followed soon after.
"Kagome!" Sango yelled running to the edge of the cliff. It was a long way down into the darkness. "KAGOME!" From the corner of her eye she saw Kirara transform and climbed on top of her back to jump down after the two Inu youkai [dog demons].
Kagome swore loudly as she plummeted closer and closer to the ground with each passing second. She was so cold. By now her body was travelling at an incredible velocity. Grabbing onto a jagged rock was out of the question unless she wanted her hand to be torn right open.
"Kagome!" InuYasha yelled growling when he saw that Sesshomaru was ahead of him. He could see her now. 'I won't make it!'
She needed to protect her body. Her own bones suddenly sprung out from her body- but it was too late. With a sickening crunch her body impacted with the ground.
"Kagome you gaki [brat], you better wake up!" InuYasha violently started shaking her shoulders. Fragments of bone where scattered everywhere.
"Come on Kagome!" Sango had made it safely to the bottom where the others where.
"Why aren't you helping us Sesshomaru?" The half demon angrily asked. "Don't just stand there! Do something!" He momentarily paused. "Oh man, I actually have the best idea ever. I'll go get Jaken and tell him to kiss her."
That's what Kagome had unfortunately woken up to. Her Aniki's [older brother's] ugly imp follower standing above her his lips were out stretched, reaching towards hers, while making kissy noises. Immediately she got up off the floor and rapidly stomped on the twisted little green thing, pummelling his body into the ground.
"AHAHAHA that was way too good. Whooo~ I wish I could have recorded that or something! The expression on your face was priceless!" InuYasha snickered clutching his stomach while tears came out from the corners of his eyes. He just loved tormenting his 'imouto'[younger sister] they weren't technically related by blood- well they were, but it wasn't from birth.
"I was having another one of those crazy dreams. What's your problem you yarou [jerk]?" Kagome popped the vertebrae in her back and suddenly yawned. "And why was I on the floor?"
"You honestly don't know?" Sango couldn't believe her friend. "Geeze, I've been trying to wake you up for the past forty-five minutes."
"Otou-san [Father] has been waiting for you. Come Jaken, there is work to be done. Refrain yourself from dirtying the floors."
"Hai [Yes] Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken quickly waddled out of the room to catch up with Sesshomaru. 'One day I'll get to kiss someone from the opposite gender! One day...'
"Oi- Sango-chan. Aren't you supposed to be helping Kohaku-kun master his kekkei genkai [bloodline limit] today, or something along the lines of that that?" InuYasha asked cleaning out his left ear with his pinky.
"Nope, I did that yesterday. He's busy training by himself today." She belonged to the Taijiya Clan. It was one of the oldest and most powerful remaining clan's in the village they lived in. Most of the members were able to use the bones of the deceased as their puppets, no strings attached. Only the rare few who were able to past the clan's strict tests would receive bones from a youkai as a permanent partner. Much like the one Sango always carried around on her back wrapped in bandages.
"So why does Tou-san want to see me?"
"That's right. It's because Naraku reported back las-" Sango didn't have time to finish what she was going to say because Kagome had disappeared. "-t night."
"I don't know why the old man puts up with the likes of that guy. He's changed from before. Now he smells disgusting all the time. I don't trust him, not one bit." InuYasha commented with a frown on his face, now in a standing position.
"Be nice, he is our inside source to Orochimaru." Sango knew what InuYasha meant. There was something about Naraku that didn't sit well with her. It was as if he was a completely different person now.
"You wish. I'm not going to 'be nice' to someone who is betraying Jisatsugakure no Sato [Hidden Village of Suicide]! Think about it. If Naraku was truly on our side, and our friend he'd have killed that son of a bitch already. Or at the very least he would tell us where Orochimaru is hiding. He could be dead by now. But no, he's still prancing around acting like a fucking fairy. Here to make all the darkest desires of a person come true! While truthfully he is just screwing you all ways possible. The only person that benefits in the end is one person, Orochimaru."
"We can't just invade Oto [Sound] without some sort of proof." 'InuYasha does make a good point though.'
"Keh. Then Naraku should have gotten it by now," The words sounded very bitter. Once he and Naraku used to be very good friends. Things changed after they went on a mission that ended with Naraku getting badly burned. Both InuYasha's fists were clenched tightly together. He was only ten years old when his mother died protecting him from being taken by a group of Orochimaru's followers. His hatred for the man ran deep within him. "Hey where are you going?"
"To find Shippo-kun, I'm supposed to find him, now that I've woken Kagome up."
Toga, the Shikage of Jisatsugakure was a very patient man. He had to be. He was the Otou-san of two constantly bickering adults. 'Adults, Ha- can I even refer to them as that? Age wise, certainly; maturity, that's another story. It's been thirty minutes since I asked Sango-san to wake her up. What's taking Kagome so long?' His mind had started to wander. 'Kagome...'
She was from the Kaguya Clan. He had been on his way back from a meeting with all the other shinobi Kages when he had found her. Five years old and abandoned. From what he gathered the clan had simply left her. The reason was she was learning their clan's kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku [Dead Bone Pulse], too quickly.
Kagome was sick and dying and would have died if he hadn't stumbled upon her. Quite literally he tripped over the small girl. She had been conscious enough to try and fight him off telling him she'd kill him like all the other mean villagers who yelled hurtful words and beat her up. Her pale body was bloody and there were many cuts that littered all over her. There was a fresh growing stain of blood soaking her clothes. After Toga knocked her out he knew she would die if he didn't do something immediately. He made and incision across his wrist and placed it against the cross shaped wound above her left hip. He used a rather painful forbidden jutsu to transfer some of his blood into her body.
He knew she was special. That's why he saved her. Gave her his blood. Making her one of his own, giving her some of his clan's abilities. Secretly though, deep down he had always wanted to raise a female child. Izayoi, his second son's mother, loved Kagome like she was her own and with that love Kagome slowly changed. Not long after he brought her back to his village, Izayoi was killed. Once she was gone, Kagome was one of the reasons that kept him from going on a murderous rampage. He was known as 'Inu no Taisho' or 'The General of Dogs' for a very good reason. The Taisho clan descended from powerful Inu Youkai [Dog Demons] they had heighted sense of smell, hearing and strength. They were also able to heal at a much faster rate than a regular shinobi.
"Tou-san, was Naraku able to find more information about my otouto [younger brother]?" Kagome asked hopefully. Her parents had been the Matriarch and Patriarch of the Kaguya Clan. They usually kept her locked up and away from the rest of the clan. Well that was before being left alone to fend for herself. She escaped too many times and was easily disposable once her Kaa-san [mother] had given birth to a boy. Kimimaro was his name. It was looking very promising that he would be able to use the clan's kekkei genkai just like Kagome could. Only having a male heir was better than having a female once. Males were able to carry on the family name. That had most likely been the deciding factor whether to keep her or not. Until recently she had thought she was the last of her kind.
"Iie, he didn't," Toga sad shaking his head in the negative. "He came back to tell us Orochimaru is entering some Oto shinobi into this year's Chuunin exam. Naraku thinks that Orochimaru has found a new body he wants to occupy. There is a person in Konohagakure that Orochimaru has his eye on. Whoever this is, they need to be watched closely at all times."
Knock Knock
"Shikage-sama, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Sango bowed to show her respect after she opened the doors to Toga's office. "I've bought Shippo-kun."
"Kagome-chan!" The twelve year old boy waved enthusiastically, a toothy smile on his face. He admired the nineteen year old a lot. She rescued him from Hiten and Manten, the heirs to the Thunder shinobi tribe.
"How are you doing Shippo-kun?" Whenever his father was sent on a mission and she was available, she would look after him. His mother had died due to a rare illness and Kagome knew what it was like to grow up without a Kaa-san.
"Good...but I'm not in trouble am I?" Ruffling his auburn hair with his hands, he tried to think of what trick he had played that landed him in the Shikage's office.
"Haha no, not this time." Toga replied chuckling. The boy did have a knack for causing trouble.
"Then why am I here?" He had been in the midst of pulling, what could only be one of the greatest pranks in all of time.
"All three of you are being sent to Konoha, a neighbouring shinobi village. The Chuunin exams will be starting soon. They only allow teams of three to participate." Toga noted the slightly confused looks on the faces' of the two girls. "You two will be going undercover as a Genin from our country."
After all, they were both Jounin. Sango received the title five years ago when she was sixteen. Kagome on the other hand became a Jounin when she was fifteen, which was roughly four years ago.
"You'll depart in an hour's time. I've already sent your 'Jounin sensei' to Konoha to inform the Hokage that we wish to participate this year." Toga leaned his head on top of his folded hands and grinned. Oh yes late last night, he had sent a very special someone there.
"Wait- do we know this person?" Kagome asked immediately suspicious of her Tou-san. 'There is that gleam in his eye.'
"This is so cool! I've never been out of the village before. I can't wait 'til I rub this in the faces' of all my friends! I'm so excited." Shippo exclaimed jumping up and down.
"Shippo-kun how about you home and pack. I need to talk to Sango-chan and Kagome-chan alone," The boy took off like a speeding bullet. "Find Orochimaru's intended target before the tournament matches. You are not to compete in them. Once you've found the target give this scroll to the Hokage. It will explain everything."
"What about our village's reputation?" The exam was supposed to display the strength of the village.
Toga raised one of his eyebrows 'why is she worrying about something like that?' He answered her nevertheless. "I send scouts to look for people who need missions carried out for them. Unlike other villages, we go to the people and because of that the good work of Jisatsu Shinobi is carried by word of mouth. Also that sign outside out village gets us good business too."
Sango nodded her head in understanding. It made sense. No villagers found their village because they were actually looking for it.
"Tou-san, why did you choose Shippo-kun for this mission?" Kagome asked as she picked up the items off his desk.
"It's about time he started to take being a shinobi seriously. The Chuunin exams will hopefully open his eyes; make him grow, even if it's just a little bit. Take it easy on the way there. You should arrive just on time to begin the exam. If that is all, you are both dismissed."
"Are we almost there yet?" Shippo asked seriously falling far behind. Walking slowly and dragging his backpack behind him. He was tired of travelling. Three days had passed since they had left the village. They had fought with a couple groups of bandits, a bear and some weak shinobi, nothing too serious.
"Almost! Come on Shippo-kun you have to keep up," Kagome and Sango waited until he caught up with them. "The gates are just up ahead. Here I'll help you out. Give me your backpack...Oh Kami [God] what is in this thing?"
"Candy." He said with a grin, moving at a much faster pace now.
She should have known. "Henge no jutsu!" When the smoke cleared a thirteen year old version of Kagome stood in her place. Sango followed her lead and also transformed into a thirteen year old.
"Woah, so this is what you guys looked like when you were about my age! Sugoi [Cool]," Shippo was amazed then he noticed the height difference between him and Kagome. "Was your hair really this long and were you really this short Kagome-chan?"
"Urasai [Shut up]." Kagome grumbled when Sango started to laugh.
"Shippo-kun, it is part of the mission that you don't mention anything about our ages or ranks when we get to Konoha." Sango said as seriously as she could while holding her sides. They hurt from laughing so much.
"Okay," He nodded. Shippo knew there was more to the mission than the Shikage had told him but he would respect it. The secrecy was there for a reason. No matter how badly he wanted to know... well he could try to find out. "Why?"
"Can't tell you. Nice try."
'Damn.' At least he could say that he had tried.
'How come they weren't with their Jounin sensei?' One of the guards asked himself granting access to another bunch of newcomers.
"So where do we go now?" Sango wondered aloud walking backwards to face the other two before quickly turning around feeling something coming their way. Could it be-? It had to be- the look of dread on Kagome's face told all. Sango bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.
'That tornado- No no no no no...Tou-san wouldn't have made him our pretend Jounin leader. Who am I trying to fool? Of course he would!' Kagome's eyes quickly darted around trying to find a quick escape route. All too soon her hands were quickly held prisoner in a larger male's hands. "Hi Kouga-kun..." No matter how many times she turned him down, he always came back.
The roguishly handsome male smiled widely. He then proceeded to crush her body into his armour, after wrapping his arms around her. "You're so kawaii [cute] Kagome. I've missed you so much! This is our first mission together in years-"
"That's because I would beg my Tou-san to give me other missions." She grumbled removing herself out of his painful embrace and shoved him away.
"You need your space. I know. That won't keep me from making you my wife someday. I'm going to make you fall for my charms. I know it. No girl can resist me." Like the Tashio Clan, Kouga's Clan also descended from youkai, an ookami [wolf] one.
"Sango-chan is it just me, or does Kouga look like a super pedophile right now?" Shippo questioned watching the grown man taking like that to the thirteen year old version of Kagome.
"Iie, you're right he looks like one." It was really creepy.
"Um, how about you tell us where we're supposed to be right now." 'He has a one track mind.' Kagome mentally sighed.
"Right! You're supposed to go to that tower over there. Find room 301 and hand these sign in forms there." Kouga handed them the registration forms.
"When?"
"Today at 4PM. It is 3:50PM right now..." A bunch of backpacks were thrust into Kouga's arms as the group took off running. "I was joking! It's only 3:40PM" His voice was muffled by all the fabric.
In record timing they reached the building and turned in the forms. They scared the person collecting the papers when they slammed the sheets onto the desks. "P-p-please, m-make your way to the examination room."
They walked past a tall man with silver gravity defying hair who was leaning on the wall outside the door. As they passed him his one eye narrowed at the group when he saw their hitai-ate. 'Jisatsu-nins? This exam has certainly become a lot more interesting. They should be starting the first exam soon.'
"Good thing we weren't late. That would have been ba-Oofph. Don't just stand in front of the entrance!" Shippo yelled after knocking over a blonde haired boy.
"Well you should have been watching where you're going!" The blue eyed boy replied back rudely pointing his finger at Shippo's chest.
"I wouldn't have had too if someone wasn't blocking the doorway!"
"Then you're not a very good shinobi then! You should be aware of your surroundings at all times. Like me!"
"Naurto, we were standing in front of the doors," A pink haired girl said taking in the adorable features of the auburn headed boy. A light blush appeared on her cheeks when his attention was placed on her. "You should apologize to-" She was waiting for the boy to introduce himself.
"The name is Petenshi, Shippo!" He proudly introduced himself puffing out his chest. Trying to make himself appear bigger than he really was.
"I'm Haruno Sakura," She said shyly trying to act all cute. "Now tell Shippo-kun you're sorry!"
"Sakura-channnn." Naruto groaned. "It was his fault!" He started sweating buckets when his teammate turned towards him, with a look that promised death if he didn't. Snorting like a bull with flames shooting out of her eyes and teeth smashing together. "Okay, okay sheesh. I'm sorry!" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.
"You should apologize too Shippo-kun."
"Awww, Kagome-channnn do I have too?" He whined.
"Unless, you want to be like InuYasha." Right when he heard that he told Naruto that he was sorry. Then he disappeared into the crowd going to introduce himself to as many people as possible, since he was a very curious person. She couldn't blame him, it was in his genes.
'Who are they?' Sakura asked becoming possessive of the boy 'We saw him first! Those two girls better stay away. If they know what's good for them!' Inner Sakura cried shaking her clenched first at them. 'They're dressed all weird.'
"Oi, Sasuke-teme. What village are they from?" Naruto whispered behind is hand. He didn't want to look stupid for not recognizing their village symbol.
Sasuke's obsidian eyes narrowed. 'That Dobe actually asked a question that wasn't stupid for once.' The symbol on their hitai-ate were two lines crossing over each other in the middle. It looked like an 'X' only one of the lines was slightly longer than the other. "What village are you three from?"
"Jisatsugakure no Sato." Sango answered while inconspicuously looking around the room. There were many possible candidates to be Orochimaru's target.
"Ji-jisatsu?" Naruto and Sakura practically yelled out. 'They're from the hidden village of S-suicide?'
"Is that even a real village?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself. 'Otherwise I would have recognized the village symbol.' Back at the academy they had to learn about all the other shinobi villages. The more she thought about it, maybe she had, in fact heard about it.
"We didn't make it up." Kagome said defensively.
"The Shinigami Shinobi is from there." Sasuke had recognized the name. Once he had heard his brother talking about the mysterious shinobi 'a worthy opponent' that dressed up like the grim reaper. The person had come from a village that was so well hidden, many shinobi couldn't find it. No matter how hard or where they searched. He so consumed with his own thoughts he completely missed the look Sango exchanged with Kagome.
"Isn't that where the Taijiya Clan is also from?" 'From the looks of it, that tall girl with the bandaged thing on her back must belong to it.'
"Shikamaru-kun you shouldn't eavesdrop on Sasuke-kun's conversation!" A long blonde haired girl reprimanded while hugging Sasuke from behind. "You're late!"
"Get away from him Ino-pig!" Sakura growled. 'How dare she! She is touching Sasuke-kun's body without his permission!'
"Isn't?" Shikamaru asked looking in Sango's direction, his eyes half lidded. His eyes swept over her body. She was wearing a loose kimono top with what appeared to be a full body suit underneath, since the bottom half was showing. He noted the mask used to cover the lower half of the face that dangled from her waist. The other girl had a lot of holes in her clothing but Shikamaru couldn't figure out the reason why.
"Hai. I'm honoured you've heard of my clan. Not many have. I'm Taijya, Sango what's your name?"
"Nara, Shikamaru. This exam is so troublesome. Too many strong people," He lazily stated heaving a giant sigh. "I guess it can't be helped."
"I'm going to find Shippo-kun." Kagome informed Sango before passing a guy with glasses who was watching the small group of Genin gathering together. 'That guy is up to something.' She eventually caught Shippo's scent among all the other shinobi in the room and found him. Just as he was about to steal someone else's candy bar a loud cry caught everyone's attention.
"MY NAME IS UZUMAKI NARUTO! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE TO ANY OF YOU BASTARDS! YOU HEAR ME?"
"Let's play with those guys a little bit. That one with the glasses called us leftovers! Let's let him add to those cards he has that the Oto shinobi can be a force to reckon with." Dosu said to his two teammates. They stealthily ran towards the one with the information cards.
"I wonder what those guys are doing right now." Shippo whispered running to the back of the room as he heard some sort of commotion. Arriving just in time to see a boy throwing up, his sensitive noise caught a whiff of the bile. He held onto his nose, turning a little green around the edges. 'It smells so bad.'
"Kabuto-san!" Naruto yelled making his way to his new friend.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"I'm fine..." Kabuto replied whipping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I expected more from you. This was really pathetic. Especially since this is your fourth time taking this exam." Dosu said disappointedly twisting his head to the right side.
Zaku took a step closer to them. "Write this down on your cards, three Oto Shinobi will definitely become Chuunins."
'What are these cards I keep hearing about? I'll ask Sango-chan about it later.' Kagome looked towards the front of the room from the corners of her eyes. A couple seconds later a bunch of examiners appeared.
"Quite down you worthless bastards!" A brusque voice belonging to a male commanded. "Thanks for waiting. I am Morino, Ibiki. The examiner for the first part of the Chuunin exam. Oto-nins stop what you are doing, unless you want to fail."
"Sorry, this is our first time. We got a bit carried away." Dosu replied smirking underneath the layers of fabric strips that hid his face.
"Here's a good opportunity to say this. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. If permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those worthless pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Am I making myself clear?" He looked around the room already picking out the ones that weren't making it to the next test.
'Those scars on his face are very impressive.' Sango remarked to herself. She had quite a few of her own and was very proud of them.
"You will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat corresponding to the number. After everyone is seated, the exams will be handed out."
Kagome appeared as if she was intently watching Ibiki explaining the rules but her mind was somewhere else. To herself, that sounded conceited- she meant her other self, the Shinigami Shinobi. It was because of the hooded cloak and the 'mask' she wore. The mask covered the top half of her face with the added wispy looking tendrils flaring outwards. It was created by using her clan's Shikotsumyaku. Making it easily disposable, hid her gender and with that her identity. Of course there were a handful of people that knew. Like her Aniki, Tou-san, Sango, Miroku, InuYasha- 'wait does even InuYasha know? He is the reason I have that nickname.'
When they were both younger InuYasha and her would get into a lot of trouble. He would pull a lot of pranks and she soon became just another victim of his 'I would like attention' phase after Izayoi died. Little Kagome had had it with the pranks and so had everyone else. One night she had rolled in dirt from the graveyard to hide her scent. Threw a cloak over herself and scared InuYasha while he was walking home from the training grounds. She used the skeleton mask to hide the distinguishable two red circle markings on her forehead. He challenged her to a match and she pinned him to the ground with ease. She told him she could do much worse than that.
"Wh-what the hell do you want from me?"
"I've been ordered to tell you to stop playing so many pranks," Kagome spoke in a low voice putting more pressure on his neck. "One day you're going to kill someone by accident. Then it won't be so funny."
"Ordered by who?" InuYasha glared up into the mask, this couldn't be a Shinigami. Could it?
"None of your business."
"If you are a Shinigami. Why are you so short?"
"I'm in training."
"I don't believe you." He snorted. 'It smells like a graveyard.' Maybe he was wrong-
Kagome produced a scythe by pulling out her pelvic bone attached to her femur. Using it for show she held it to InuYasha's neck. "You don't? You want proof-?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud boom of thunder shook the ground underneath him. Lighting lit up the sky accentuating the shadows of the mask. "Okay, okay, okay! I believe you! I give you my word. I won't play so many pranks. Just let me go!" He frantically tried to push the thing off of him.
"That's all I wanted to hear." Luck had been on her side with the weather that night. After that Kagome snapped the mask off and rushed home in the rain. She had to listen to InuYasha blabbing on and on about the Shinigami shinobi he saw for an entire three weeks after that. It was so worth it.
"The exam will last one hour. BEGIN." Ibiki announced.
'Okay little guy time to put the life back into you.' Sango shared her chakra with the dead spider on the floor. 'Get me the answers.' It started to scurry around going to the shinobi who was writing too quickly to be a regular Genin. When the spider came it gave the answer to the question. 'Next...'
'I can't answer any of these questions! B-but I have to somehow. Kagome-chan and Sango-chan are counting on me. If I fail so will they and I'm not just talking about this exam. Everyone in the village will hate me forever. I'll never get another mission, or I'll be forced to do lame ones for the rest of my life. Come on Shippo pull yourself together. Now think! You're smart.' He had just brought himself back from the brink of a mental breakdown. 'I can get through this- somehow...I hope.'
'I wonder how Shippo-kun's doing.' Kagome wondered as she listened to the loud pencil scratches of the shinobi sitting next to her. Copying down the answers despite knowing that she didn't have to, it would potentially ruin the mission if she didn't appear that she was trying.
'I have to cheat.' Shippo decided his eyes slowly drifting over to try and see what the person beside him had written.
THUNK.
A kunai had embedded itself into a boy's test.
"What was that for?" Was the indignant response.
"You messed up 5 times. The other two on his team get out. You fail," The examiner with a bandage around his nose escorted the group out. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."
'Okaaayyy so maybe I won't cheat. Then what the heck am I supposed to do?' A river of tears was now flowing out of his green eyes. He wished he had paid more attention back at the academy. Unfortunately he did not have the ability to travel through time.
'There aren't that many people left. Orochimaru's target has to be one of the people remaining. It's almost time for the tenth question. Even then that's still a lot of people' Kagome had been finished with the test for awhile now. 'It would be easier if we knew what Orochimaru looked for in another person's body.'
"Excuse me! I need to go to the bathroom." A boy with kabuki face paint stated standing up with his arm in the air.
"We have to follow you." The 'examiner' said handcuffing the boy and leading him out of the room.
'I'm running out of time!' Shippo was tugging at fistfuls of his hair. Picking up the pencil he wrote 'please don't fail me' over and over until it covered the entire front side and back side of the sheet. Then prayed to Kami. 'Dear Kami use your awesome shinobi magic to let me pass. While you are at it make that InuBaka less mean to me and get his to brush his teeth once in awhile his breath is really stinky.'
"Okay. We will now start the tenth question," Ibiki said now that the trash of the group had been removed. "Before this question I'd like to go over some rules."
Brown eyes followed as the Suna-nin came back in with his own puppet following him. 'That's actually quite clever- but not for something like this.' Sango smirked.
"Nice timing. Did playing with your doll help? Just sit down." Ibiki strolled around the front of the class. "These are the rules of desperation. For this tenth question you must decide whether you will take it or not."
"Choose?" A girl from Suna asked. "What happened if we choose not to!"
"Simple. If you don't, your points will be reduced to zero. You fail along with your two teammates."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Then of course we will decide to take the question!"
"But here is the other rule-"
'Oh man not another rule,' Shippo miserably thought. 'No matter what, I have to answer this question, it's my only hopes at passing this thing!'
"-That person will lose the right to ever take the chuunin selection exam again."
"What kind of stupid rule is that?" Kiba yelled while Akamaru barked. "There are people here who have taken the exam before this!"
Ibiki laughed. He always loved the reactions everyone gave him. "You guys were unlucky this year. It's my test, my rules. However I am going to give you a way out. Those that aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again the year after. Now let's begin the tenth question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is called, you can leave.
'The pressure is so freaking intense! What if I get it wrong I'll be stuck as a Genin forever! There is always another year for you Shippo. But I can't leave though Kagome-chan and Sango-chan are depending on me. What happens if I get it wrong though? Gahhhhh!' He was starting to go out of his mind.
"Number 50 you fail." An examiner called after the group caved into the pressure.
"130, 111 also fail." The room was slowly but surely emptying.
Naruto shakily raised his hand and slammed it onto the table. "I will not run! Don't underestimate me. Even if I have to be a Genin forever! I'll find another way to become the Hokage. So I don't care. Ask your question! I AM NOT AFRAID. BRING IT ON!"
"I'll only ask you once again. Your lives are riding on this decision. This is your last chance to save your reputation."
"I'm not giving up. That's my shinobi way." Naruto said with such determination that everyone in the room could feel it. All the uncertainty others had been feeling were now gone.
"Good decisions. To everyone who is still here that is," Ibiki paused. Just a little bit more tension couldn't hurt. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!"
"Whhhaaatt-?" Shippo cried out. He was so confused.
"Wait-what do you mean? We already pass? What about the tenth question?" Sakura asked.
Ibiki grinned happily his behaviour had change dramatically. "It never existed! Well, I guess if you want to count those two choices were the tenth question."
"So what, then what were the first nine questions for. They were completely pointless!" 'All that stress was for nothing?' Shippo groaned.
"Iie. They were not pointless. They have already served their intended purpose. It tested your individual information gathering abilities. First as the rules explained success on this test is based on the whole team passing. This puts incredible pressure on each member of the team. They don't want to mess things up for their teammates."
"I knew it." Naruto lied nodding his head up and down. He wasn't fooling Sakura and Sasuke with his act though.
"Those questions were not types of questions a simple Genin could answer. We knew that- and I'm sure most people came to the same conclusion. To get points, I'll have to cheat. We placed Chuunins who already knew all the answers and mixed them up into the crowd. The ones who were smart used these guys to help you out. But those that cheated poorly failed." Ibiki removed his Hitai-ate to reveal his skull. "In times of information is more important than life-"
'His scars are way scarier than mine.' Sango admitted thinking about the ones on her back.
"-I want you to remember this. Information in your hands can be powerful for you and your comrades and for your village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This weeding out those that did not have the right abilities. Say you guys become Chuunins and your mission is to steal a secret document-"
'That sounds all too familiar.' Kagome mused. She had done plenty of those missions before.
"-The amount of shinobi, their abilities and various other factors are unknown to you. Of course there could be traps all around you. Now, do you accept or decline? Just because you don't want to die or want your comrades hurt, can you avoid the dangerous mission? The answer is no! No matter what the danger. There are missions you can't evade. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship is the ability needed to become a Chuunin Captain."
"Sugoi [cool]." Shippo uttered under his breath. 'Kagome-chan and Sango-chan got so much cooler if that's just the description of a Chuunin.'
"Those who walk away from their chance clinging on to 'there's always next year' are pieces of trash. Only cowardly choices are made by these people. They don't have the right to ever become a Chuunin. That's my belief. For those of you who chose to take it answered the tenth question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. I wish you guys luck."
'Someone is coming.' Sango reached her hand down to her kunai-holster getting ready for the potential attacker.
The window crashed and a black blurr came spinning in as glass shards flew all over the place. Kunai's became embedded into the ground and into the ceiling. "No time for celebration-"
Sango shifted her body weight and let out a sigh, releasing her grip on the weapon. 'That was a close one.'
"-I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi, Anko. Let's go! Follow me!" She punched her fist in the air.
"You... have bad timing." Ibiki whispered as he snuck out from the edge of the banner, which she had burst out from.
"That Ibiki guy is good at his job." Kagome commented walking beside Sango.
"Very." Sango agreed as they followed the second examiner to a caged off forest. It had all kinds of warnings signs imaginable all over it.
"Welcome to practice area 44 also known as 'The Forest of Death' you'll soon find out why." Anko got ticked off when some loudmouth blonde kid started to mock her.
"You think that scares me? That's nothing! I'm not afraid!" Naruto suddenly found his own blood running down his cheek.
"That lady is scary," Shippo shivered. He stepped behind Kagome and Sango, using them as his shields when a Shinobi, with a long tongue, handed the weapon back to Anko. "He's even scarier."
"There is something I have to pass out," Anko held up a stack of consent forms and waved them around. "You must sign these agreement forms. People will die in there. If I don't have you sign these, it will be my fault. I'm going to explain the second test, then afterwards you can sign it- or not." The sheets were being handed from person to person.
Kagome closed her eyes and took a couple of good whiffs. Memorizing the scent of the suspicious shinobi, made her feel sick. It was that disgusting, unforgettable in that sense.
"You okay Kagome-chan?" Sango whispered while the examiner explained about the heaven and earth scrolls.
"I'm fine." She smiled to reassure Sango. They had be friends since meeting each other while doing D class missions around the village. That's when she had also met Naraku, Kouga and Miroku too. 'Those were the days...'
"WHAT ABOUT DINNER?' A chubby boy yelled with swirls on his face yelled. 'Do they want us to die of starvation or something? I'm a growing boy. I need to have proper nourishment!'
"The forest is full of food. Beware though, the area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, they'll die from the harshness of the course."
'Hehe I'm lucky. I always have some candy on me.' If Shippo had a tail, it would be wagging right about now.
"Now I'll talk disqualifications," She stuck up her pointer finger. "First those who don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls within the time limit," Another finger went up. "Second those who loses a teammate or those who have a teammate killed. As a rule there is no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for five days. One more rule. You must not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower."
"What happens if you do?" Naruto gulped loudly.
"That will be a surprise. Chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This tests your trustworthiness. That is it for the explanations. Exchange the three forms for your scroll. Then choose a get and get ready for the start. Final word of advice, don't die."
"They just had to make everything difficult. You can't see what scroll people are getting." Shippo moaned.
"It's more fun this way." Sango grinned as she took the Earth scroll that was handed to her group.
"Everyone follow an instructor and go to your gates. We will start in thirty minutes," They made their way over to gate 2. The lock on the door was taken off and the chains slid to the ground. "The second test of the Chuunin exam begins now!"
As they ran through the forest Kagome remembered something and stopped. "Sango-chan what are those cards those Shinobi kept talking about?"
"Huh? Oh- The guy with glasses, Kabuto-kun had these cards that contained information on all the hidden villages and the skilled shinobi within each village. The information can only be seen when he uses his chakra on them. That Sasuke kid asked about the Shinigami Shinobi you know."
"What did it say about the Shinigami Shinobi?" Shippo excitedly asked. He hoped to meet that person someday.
"There was only a blurry picture, no other information available."
"Aww that sucks," He pouted. "But then again the Shinigami isn't stupid enough to have information gathered on him in the first place. He's way too good of a shinobi to have that happen!" Shippo visually jumped when they heard a loud scream from another group. He hid behind the person closest to him, Sango. "What was that?"
"People are already on the move. We can't stay in the same place for long," Sango preformed some quick hand seals and placed her hand onto the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu [Summoning Technique]." She picked up the massive boomerang weapon and swung it behind her. "Hiraikotsu how I've missed you." They were on the move once more.
"Sango-chan." Kagome looked towards the girl and they both nodded. She caught the scent of that guy with the long tongue and was going to check it out.
"Where did Kagome-chan go?" Shippo asked in alarm. "Did we lose her? We have to go back! She could be in troub-"
"She's fine. You're a good fighter right-?" There was no time left for him to answer. "Watch out."
A Fuuma Shuriken emerged from the tree line headed straight for him. He managed to duck just in time quickly forgetting about his previous thought. Holding out his hands to the general area it had come from he used his special attack. "Kitsune-Bi [Foxfire]!"
She was far enough away now. The henge was released and Kagome reached into the pouch. There were no weapons inside. All the weapons she needed, her body could create. So the pouch was very out of place thing for her to have. What was the point of it then? She kept a black hooded cloak rolled up inside of it along with medical supplies. As she ran she put her arms through the sleeves and tied it up. She grew out her signature mask and pulled two hook like bones through small holes in the hood. That's what kept it from falling down. She wore clothes that had holes the size of golf ball at all major joint points. It allowed her to easily access the bones there without ruining her clothing all the time.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" Sasuke shouted. 'How does he know Itachi?'
"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam. Of course you'll cross paths with my men, the Oto shinobi trio. Defeat them."
"As if we ever want to see your face again! What are you talking about?" Sakura yelled shaking from fear. As soon as an opportunity presented itself she was going to run.
"That's what you think." Orochimaru wrapped the middle finger on each of his hands around his two pointer fingers. His head struck outwards as his neck elongated, with the intent of sinking his fangs into Sasuke's body.
'So that boy is his target.' Kagome jumped down from her hiding spot and landed a surprise spinning heel kick to the top of Orochimaru's head.
"So you were the one I sensed," He frowned slithering his neck back ready to strike again. "I don't have time to play with nobodies."
"Stay back." Kagome ordered the two. They looked positively frightened out of their minds. 'With every reason too.' Calmly she slid her right foot back and waited for him to move.
"Sasuke we have to run!" Sakura said grabbing the boy's hand and taking off. Unknowingly she created a huge opening.
"He he, thank you." Orochimaru snapped his neck out again and sank his teeth into Sasuke's neck.
'That pink haired idiot!' Kagome growled. They had been in her range of protection before. "Tsubaki no Mai [Dance of the Camellia]." She drew out her sword bone from her shoulder and sank it deep into Orochimaru's side as his neck retracted back to his body. She pulled it out and ducked from the fast series of punches and kicks. It wasn't anything she couldn't keep up with. They continued to exchange blows. Kagome gained the upper hand by pushing out the bone from her elbow resulting in a deep slash across his cheek.
'Can it be?' Orochimaru thought with delight and retreated backwards putting some distance in between the cloaked figure. "A surviving member from that clan are we? How come I didn't notice you...Now I've gone and wasted my seal."
"What did you do to him?" Sakura asked watching as Sasuke grabbed the back of his neck his face contorted with pain.
"Gave him a present." He ran his fingers through his long silky hair.
"Teshi Sendan [Ten Finger Drilling Bullets]." The bones in her phalanges became bullets. Spinning rapidly in the air three of them landed into Orochimaru and instantly began drilling themself into his body. 'Shit, it was a clone.' Her nose was unfortunately unable to tell a clone apart from the actual person. They had the same scent.
"I have someone just like you, but unlike him. You are the perfect tool." He licked his lips dodging the bone that he knew was hard as steel. 'This person managed to injure me. They might be even more powerful than him.' This thought alone made Orochimaru very excited he chuckled to himself.
"What's wrong with him?" 'He must be talking about Kimimaro-kun.' Kagome kept her sword in a defensive position as he circled around her.
"My best solider has an incurable disease. I wouldn't be looking for a new body if he didn't." Orochimaru formed some hand signs and started sinking into the ground. He was pleased with her performance. "I'll come looking for you."
'He was only testing my skills.' She retracted the bone jutting out of her elbow back into her body to keep if for another day. 'Kimimaro-kun is sick...'
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"S-sasuke-kun please hang in there!" Sakura held tightly onto his hand quietly wincing as he crushed it. She looked to the side where the cloaked figure was standing. "You- you can help me right? Sasuke-kun is hurt! Naruto-kun is too! I don't know what to do. Please. I trust you!"
"Go get your friend down." Kagome spoke in a low voice making it difficult for Sakura to determine if this person was a girl or a boy. While Sakura did as she was told Kagome took the time to examine the mark Orochimaru had left behind. 'Naraku had one similar to this on his body... I remember seeing it. I thought it was just a tattoo, just a little above his right ankle. Does that mean-?'
"What is wrong with Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was frightened at the way the strange figure just stood above his body. She was struggling to hold Naruto's weight over her shoulders. Her knees had started to shake as she gritted her teeth together.
"I don't know," Kagome kneeled down and picked the boy up with ease. His face was contorted with inexplicable pain. "Let's find a place so these two can rest."
"O-okay. How about the roots of that tree over there, it's nearby," Sakura gestured nodding her head in the direction wheezing slightly as she half dragged half carried Naruto. "What's your name?" She received no reply. "I'm Haruno, Sakura." Still no reply 'geeze I'm just trying to be polite. It wouldn't hurt to answer.'
Once Kagome had placed the boy down and walked away, her black cloak billowing in the wind.
"W-wait! Where are you going?" Sakura asked frantically standing up and following after the mysterious figure.
"I have other things to do."
"Right," Sakura wanted to slap herself on her forehead, of course they did. This person had a team that needed them. Why else would they be in the forest otherwise, they wouldn't have been allowed in. "Thank you for everything. Great now I'm all alone again. Wait- could that person have been-?" 'Shinigami Shinobi?...Never mind that it's not important. Protecting my teammates is now my top priority.'
Kagome settled herself in the crook of a tree branch watching Sakura setting up a trap. 'I'm only here to observe Sasuke-kun now. I still don't know why he was chosen.'
"I hope those guys down there have right one this time Sango-chan!" Shippo jumped down mindful of all his cleverly set invisible traps and grabbed the two scrolls. They had used the Earth scroll they received after fighting the group that had attacked them, as bait. The shinobi's were knocked out and stuck under his jizo statues. He rummaged through their pouches until he found the one with the scroll. He held up the heaven scroll waving it around in victory.
"Excellent your plan worked really well. That's the kind of thinking that gives you the upper hand to your opponent. Good job." Sango smiled. "Why don't you hold onto the scrolls? I think you've earned that responsibility."
"I'll guard them with my life!" He said dramatically putting them into his pouches as he yawned loudly. 'I wonder what time it is.'
"Over there is a good spot where we can rest," Sango said removing the heavy bandaged mass from her back. She rotated her shoulders a good couple of times to remove the stiffness before finding the end of the wrappings. "Kirara it's time to wake up."
The bones glowed red and caught on fire quickly connecting the bones together in the right place. Organs, muscle, flesh and fur returned to the saber toothed neko youkai's [cat demon's] body. Kirara stretched out her entire body extending her five and a half inch claws. Red eyes took in the surrounding scene then went back to the mini Sango as if she was waiting for instructions. "You summoned?" Sango hugged the neko's massive head and gave her a good scratch under the chin.
"Kirara this is Shippo-kun. Shippo-kun this is Kirara." Sango introduced stroking the incredibly soft fur.
"Wow!" Shippo was wide eyed with amazement. He had thought Kohaku's Saimyosho, a massive poisonous four winged scary looking killer bee thing was cool. The only thing was that Kohaku had no control whatsoever over the Saimyosho. 'At least it doesn't look like a zombie anymore.'
There had been a time where Kohaku wasn't able to properly resurrect his summon. It flew around with chunks of it's' body sliding off. Wasn't a very pleasant sight for anyone who saw it, maybe that's was one of the reasons the Saimyosho didn't like him.
"Nice to meet you!"
"The feeling is mutual." Kirara rubbed her head against the boy's body in greeting.
"Please protect us while we sleep." Sango said as they settled underneath the roots of a tree.
"As you wish." The neko laid down in front of the 'entrance' keeping on high alert for anything that dared threatened the people inside.
Bright and early in the morning Sango woke up. "Get some rest Kirara. I'm going to go look for something edible." She returned later with three dead rabbits and a squirrel. They had unfortunately gotten stuck in one of Shippo's traps. Two of the rabbits she cooked and gave the unwanted bits to Kirara who happily consumed them. Eating was purely for enjoyment not out of necessity for the undead neko.
"Where's Kagome-chan? I thought she be back by now." They were getting ready to start making their way to the tower.
"Don't worry, I'm positive she's fine," Sango could see that he was worried. "Kirara, do you think you could give Shippo and I a ride on your back?" She whispered into the black triangular ear. Sango received the go ahead. "Get on Kirara's back Shippo. We're going for a ride."
"Sasuke-kun your body..." Sakura pointed out her hair was now freshly cut.
"Don't worry I feel power overflowing from within me. I feel great. He gave this to me. I finally understand that I am an avenger. Even if I must eat the devil's fruit, I am on a path where I must gain power. Now it was you three he wanted me to defeat, right?"
"Ino-chan this is bad! You'll get caught up in this, return to your body. Choji you come too, we have to hide! Ino-chan you made it back just in time, good." Shikamaru said as they dove behind some bushes.
Kagome gasped Sasuke's chakra had increased dramatically. 'So that's what that seal does. Those marks are spreading. Getting that much power, that quickly; it must be doing damage to him, in some way. That is too dangerous.'
"Dosu! Don't be afraid of this half dead freak show!"
"Zaku, no! Don't you realize? Can't you feel it?"
'Sharingan-? So that's why you were chosen.' Kagome watched as Sasuke carried his two friends out of harm's way. It wasn't the same boy that was attacking the Oto shinobi. When the pink haired girl embraced Sasuke the curse receded back into the mark. 'That's interesting.'
"Here's a gift to you. Please let us leave. This may seem convenient but there is something we must find out now. I will promise you this. If there is another situation where we meet in this exam we will neither run nor hide from you," Their scroll was placed onto the ground. "We were merely ordered to kill Sasuke-kun."
"Everyone hide! Get down now! Where did that guy go?" Naruto asked searching for the weirdo who had attacked them.
"Sango-chan that was so awesome! I wish Kohaku-kun would learn to control that Saimyosho so I could fly on its back."
"Kirara can fly too. Maybe I'll show you the next time I summon her."
Sango and Shippo were at the tower doors. Sango had decided to let Kirara have some well needed rest. She wrapped the bones back up and carried them on her back. The other earth scroll they had been in procession she had destroyed. In her opinion the fewer teams that past, the better. "Where are you Kagome-chan? We are almost out of time..."
"Right here." Kagome waved her hand, the henge back in place. Sasuke wasn't in any danger, not with Kabuto, someone who collected data was following him. 'Which was exactly what he was doing...there was no reason for me to stay any longer. If he was going to try something, he would have done it already.'
"Where have you been?" Shippo asked hugging Kagome tightly. "We've been waiting here for hours!"
"Doesn't matter. I'm back now," Kagome reached up and affectionately ruffled his hair as they went through the doors. "You can open those scrolls now Shippo."
"I thought we weren't allowed to though!" He had been dying to see what was inside all this time though. 'Is she just testing me?'
"Now we can. Read that board on the wall. It's telling us to open it," Sango assured him. Watching as he opened both of them at the same time. She laughed when he dropped them as soon as it started smoking and he hid behind Kagome. "It's just a kuchiyose no jutsu."
They made their way to the next room after the Chuunin that popped out explaining about being smarter if you were strong and if you were strong to be smarter and you have to have balance. Something the kage of the village wrote. Shippo, Sango and Kagome now stood with the other groups that had managed passed.
What are your opinons on the first chapter?
I kind of got tired of reading the old 'the well transported me to a new place' or 'the shikon transported me to a new place' or 'there is actually a shinobi village in tokyo but no one knows it.' This sounds bitter, but I assure you I'm not. I've never worked on two stories at once so this will also be a first. This is an easier read in my opinion than 'Growing Up A Shinobi'. I don't think some people realise how long it takes me to write 1,000 words. Let alone 10,000! This idea would not leave my head until I had it typed out.
So like my other story, leave your interesting or creative responses in a review!